It’s been a long summer, and commitments away from tennis have made it impossible to write up match reports in the way that I had done earlier. It also wasn’t helped by the ITF changing their data and streaming partner, making it more than difficult to figure out what was going on in so many matches. However, with most of those bugs appearing to have been fixed, and the Australasian circuit having concluded, I’m now able to get back to my earlier routine. It’s fitting that the first of these new reports features our highest-ranked player in her first match with a new partner. At this stage they’re together only for one tournament, but who knows what may happen?
I’m also thrilled to see Paige Hourigan back in action, having been off the scene for long enough (more than six months) to earn herself a Special Ranking. Her comeback isn’t at ITF level: instead, she’s playing in a WTA 125 tournament in Antalya, partnering Rutuja Bhosale. The combination are unbeaten, having won ITF tournaments in China and Japan last year in their only previous starts together, but this event is a big step up from those. This week also sees players in locations that they haven’t experienced before with Reece Falck and Finley Hall both playing in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and James Watt sampling the delights of Mexico for the first time as he teams up with Finn Reynolds in Cuernavaca.